


In High Definition

by fishfingersandjellybabies



Series: Murder and Consequences [4]
Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-17
Updated: 2016-09-17
Packaged: 2018-08-15 11:07:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8053963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fishfingersandjellybabies/pseuds/fishfingersandjellybabies
Summary: Tim said they wouldn’t want to see it. That it’d kill them. Why didn’t they listen.





	In High Definition

**Author's Note:**

> Damian woke up like halfway through them watching the video, but they were so enthralled they didn’t hear him. I know it wasn’t strictly for Jason that he killed the Joker but…we’ll get into that later. Still accepting fanart. Just saying~

Jason woke up to a ringtone, followed by movement.

“Yeah?” Dick whispered. Jason opened his eyes to find Damian being carefully dumped into his arms, as Dick rolled out of bed, and rushed out of the room. “Already? Did you send it to me yet?”

Jason sighed, wrapping his arms around Damian and hooking his chin over his head, more than happy to drop back into dreamland while Dick talked to whoever it was. But with no other sound to block it out, and the bedroom door not closed, he could hear Dick’s conversation as if he never left the room.

“…What do you mean I don’t want to see it?” Dick asked, sounding nervous. “Is it…is it really that bad?”

Jason didn’t hear the answer.

“…What did Bruce think?” Jason’s eyes slowly opened. “…What do you _mean_ you don’t know?” A pause. “Well, try to find something he might have a GPS on. The car, his suit, a cell phone. You know this stuff better than me, so I guess I don’t _actually_ need to tell you what to look for…” Another stop, and after a moment Dick sighed. “Just…no, Tim, I told you. No one’s going to know where we are, not until I want you to. But just let me know if Bruce leaves the state, okay?”

Jason glanced down at the sleeping boy in his arms.

“…As well as can be expected, I guess. Jason said he’s barely spoken, and it took me hours to convince him to go to sleep.” Another stop, and then a snort. “Yeah, I’ll tell him you did. Thanks Tim. We’ll see you soon. Hopefully.”

Jason heard the faint beep of the call being ended, another sigh, and the shifting of sofa cushions. He waited a moment, before carefully unwinding his arms from around Damian and slowly rolling off the mattress. He stood there a moment, making sure he didn’t wake the kid, before turning and tiptoeing out of the room.

Dick was on the couch, head leaned back, thumb and pointer finger pinching the bridge of his nose.

Jason leaned against the doorframe. “So?”

Dick jerked in surprise, but didn’t lower his hand. “…Tim found the security footage.”

“…And?”

“He says it’s awful.” Dick whispered, shifting the hand to run down his face before dropping it into his lap. “He said it was the worst thing he’d ever seen. Bruce was so rattled, he just…left. Grabbed some car keys and stormed out. No one can find him.”

“Think he’s trying to find us?” Jason asked. “Think he knows where we are?”

“I…I don’t know. Tim didn’t know. He said as soon as you walked into the shot, he ran out. Tim tried to stop him, but Bruce didn’t seem to hear him.” Dick explained. “But…the tape confirmed it, Tim said.”

Jason waited.

“Damian killed the Joker.” Dick breathed.

“What, were you hoping Damian, for some crazy reason, was _lying_?” Jason scoffed.

“Are you telling me you _weren’t_?” Dick snapped back, glancing up at him in annoyance.

Jason opened his mouth to respond, but found he had nothing to say, so just slowly ran his tongue along the edge of his teeth. “…Did Tim say if there was any audio?” A pause. “Did he hear…”

“Damian confirm why he did it?” Dick finished sadly. He visibly swallowed a lump in his throat. “…Yeah. He did.”

“…Oh.” Jason hummed. “…Is he sending it?”

“He didn’t want to.” Dick whispered. “He said it was going to kill me.”

His phone, thrown on the coffee table, suddenly buzzed with a new message.

“Mind if I join you?” Jason asked softly, as Dick stared blankly at the lit-up phone. “I’ve heard dying’s easier when someone else does it with you. Though, I wouldn’t know anything about that.”

It was a joke, and he was glad Dick’s lips quirked upwards as Jason walked towards him. He glanced back to the bedroom only once, just to check that Damian was still conked out. When he was satisfied, he flopped down next to Dick, and leaned into his side as the elder grabbed the phone.

He just stared at it for a moment. Tim’s name in little pixels, and the icon of an attachment. Dick suddenly inhaled, and it was shaky.

“You ready?” Dick asked softly.

“As I’ll ever be.” Jason replied. “You?”

“No.” Dick replied instantly, as he opened the video and hit play.

The video opened to the Joker and his gang, sitting around in that warehouse they’d found Damian in. Joker was saying something about fish, laughing as he gave a push here and a shove there. The men all seemed nervous, laughing awkwardly when the Joker’s attention turned to them.

Suddenly, everyone turned towards the warehouse doors, where the figure of Robin suddenly stood. He looked small, from this angle, and incredibly unimposing, but the gang held their weapons up to him anyway. Joker talked, jokes and mockeries. Damian didn’t rise to the bait. Joker seemed annoyed by that, and with a simple word and the flick of his wrist, the gang all converged on the little boy.

Damian instantly disappeared from the frame, obviously leading the criminals on a chase, down the path and into the alley where they’d found the unconscious bodies. The Joker stayed behind, the lone person in the big empty room, now.

He slowly waltzed around the room, waiting. Smiled at every shout of distress from his men, laughed when he heard gunshots that he knew didn’t hit their target.

The sound seemed to die down, and there was a moment of lull, the only sound the Joker’s humming. A pleasant tune, like he was just going for a stroll. He stopped when Damian reappeared in the warehouse entryway, no worse for wear, even after his fight with the gang of 20-plus men.

“All done, little birdie?” Joker cackled. Damian didn’t react. “And not a single guy left? How strong! I bet Daddy’s proud, no?”

Damian just blinked.

“Where is the old bat, anyway?” Joker asked. “On his way? Or did he let the little baby out on his own tonight?”

“You’re committing crimes, Clown.” Damian droned. “How much have you stolen tonight? How many people did you kill?”

“Not enough.” Joker purred. “You know, kid? You’re the only bird he let’s out on their own so much.”

“I doubt it.” Damian sighed, stepping forward. “Now sit down and shut up.”

“It’s true!” Joker exclaimed. “Nightwing, and the girl. And the Reds. He kept ‘em all close, all the time. Never let them out alone. Never let them near _me_ , alone.”

“It’s…because I am the strongest.” Damian replied calmly, but Jason and Dick could tell, even over the video, that he was starting to get…something. Nervous? Agitated? Was he believing the Joker’s simple taunts? “Now shush.”

“Or is it because he doesn’t _care_?” Joker asked smoothly. “Maybe he doesn’t care what happens to you. Him or the big bird, since I see he’s not here either.”

“You’re wrong.” Damian countered, and it was harsh. “They’re on their way – I just so happened to get here first.”

“Sure, sure. You know,” Joker licked his lips and stepped forward. Damian remained where he was, just in the center of the room. Watched, as the Joker began to circle him. “Nightwing was always very _protective_ of those other birds. If Batman wasn’t with the chick, Nightwing was. Always defensive. Always jumped into the fight first, so his precious Robin wouldn’t get hurt. Tried to kill me once, for those other birds. Has he ever tried to kill someone for you?”

Damian didn’t answer.

“But here you are all alone! And it’s just so surprising! I wonder what that means? I wonder where they are?” The Joker asked, sounding almost rhetorical. “Maybe…Maybe this was all a _trick_.”

Damian just rolled his eyes.

“Maybe they’re not coming at all.” Joker hissed, leaning close to Damian’s ear. “Maybe they _want_ me to kill you.”

Damian’s lips pursed. “Shut up.”

“I mean, I have killed one before.” Joker hummed. “And I am _positive_ they liked him _way better_ than you.”

And this time…Damian seemed unsure.

“I mean, look at him! I killed _him_ , and he came back, and now _he_ kills people, and Bats doesn’t do anything about it!” Joker laughed in Damian’s ear. Spit flew out of his mouth, and it landed on Damian’s face. Damian tried to recoil, but suddenly the Joker grabbed his shoulder, pulled him tight to his side. “But you? I’ve heard Bats scold you for the smallest thing. Leaves you behind all the time. So, maybe he’s sick of you. Maybe ‘Wing caring all those years was a big old _farce_ , and mommy and daddy are finally at their wits’ end with you. So they called up Uncle J! And I told them, I said – hey, Bats. Don’t you worry about it. I’ll take care of _evvvvvvvverything_.”

Damian was shoving at the Joker’s chest now. It took him a second, but he succeeded in escaping, stepping back a few steps. His face seemed a little surprised, movements tight and defensive, like he couldn’t believe the Joker had just _touched him_. “You and I both know that’s not-”

But suddenly the Joker was on him completely. Had hands on both his arms, and was shoving him back against the nearest wall.

“But say it was.” Joker hissed, right against his face. “Say they wanted me to kill you, what would you do about it? Kill me back? Ha!”

“Put me down.” Damian said coldly, voice shaking in fury. “Put me down or so help me-”

“You’ll what?” Joker asked sweetly. “Would you really kill me? Psh. You don’t have the _balls_. Bats trained you too well. He’s beaten that instinct out of you, Robbie. You’d never kill me.”

“Yeah?” Damian snapped, in a moment of weakness, trying to kick out. But by sheer height and weight, the Joker was stronger, and held him there with ease. “Want to try me?”

“Ooooh, I know you, kiddo. I know how you _tick_. I know who your _mom_ is.” Joker sneered. “She was always your dad’s favorite. I can tell. I know Bats like the back of my hand.”

“Put. Me. Down.” Damian demanded, but it was out of fright. And the Joker knew it. “Now.”

Joker leaned closer to his face. Practically brushed his nose along Damian’s cheek. “…No.”

Damian struggled, trying to reach the Joker’s wrists. He didn’t get the chance, though, before suddenly the Joker was swinging him around, and throwing him across the room.

Damian bounced off the dusty floor once, and groaned on impact, curling into himself.

“Are you going to cry? The last one I killed did.” Joker called, sauntering across the room. Damian remained on the ground. “The Red Hood. Big ol’ tough Red Hood. Crying like a baby on the floor of a warehouse, just like this one.”

“Shut…shut up.” Damian wheezed, and on the video they could see Damian shift to clutch at his chest.

“Uh-ohhhh, and here I thought the big blue bird was your favorite! Are you telling me it was our helmeted friend all along?” Joker clapped his hands together. “Well in that case, did I ever tell you the story of how I did kill him?”

“I said…shut _up_ …” Damian breathed, still trying to get his breath back. One hand still on his throat, and the other clutching the sword at his hip. And that sword was looking all the more dangerous, now that they knew what it did in a matter of minutes.

“I mean, you know the crowbar part, you brought one to our rendezvous a few years ago. Don’t think I forgot about that, my feathered friend. I think I still have the bruises.” Joker tsked. “He was betrayed by his own mama, did you know that? She died with him. Didn’t give two shits about him.”

Joker watched Damian struggle for a moment, before gently kicking him to the side a little bit, like he was testing the waters.

“He was pathetic. I only beat him for five minutes before he was crying for dear ol’ Bats. Kept thinking out loud, about how Bats was gonna come for him, and how he forgave his mother and all that…” Joker suddenly trailed off, put a finger to his chin. “You know what? This story’s boring just to _tell_. I think I’ll go find our good buddy Red Hood, and ask him to help me… _reenact it_.”

Damian’s head shot up as the Joker spun away, towards the door, and he whispered, “…No.”

“Hmmm?” The Joker practically sang, spinning around. “What was that?”

“I said no!” Damian snapped, slowly getting to his feet and stumbling quickly forward. He latched on to the Joker’s arm and pulled him back, away from the door. “I…You won’t hurt the Red Hood again! I won’t _let_ you!”

“Oh you won’t, huh?” Joker purred, down to into Damian’s face again. Gently, he put his hand over Damian’s. “What are you going to do to stop me?”

Damian just held his tongue and stared up at him.

“Because, you know. The only way to stop me, is to kill me.” Joker explained thoughtfully, even as Damian released his arm with a jerk, and stepped back. “And I know you’re too chicken to do that.”

Damian swallowed.

“I said you’re too _chicken_ , kid.” Joker hissed, lurching forward and grabbing Damian’s shoulders, shaking him violently. “But it’s a nice thought, I’m sure. Threatening me to help out ol’ Red. I’m sure that’ll get you brownie points with Batman. I’m sure he’ll love you now, after he finds out how much you love your _big brudder.”_

“Let go of me.” Damian tried, voice shaking, eyes furious and terrified. “Let go of me and sit on the ground. Batman will be here any minute to arrest you and-”

“Do it.” Joker sneered as he suddenly released him and stepped back, slowly holding his arms out wide. “I dare you, baby. Kill me. Be the one to do it.”

Damian shook his head, took another step back. Put more distance between them. The Joker frowned.

“I said _do it!”_ Joker screamed and he was back again, in Damian’s face, digging his nails into his arms, shaking him. Forwards and backwards, and side to side. “You have to, Robin! Because, in the words of our mutual associate Red Hood, it’s him or me! You or him, you or me! I’ve decided someone’s dying tonight, and it’s _your_ choice who!”

“No!” Damian screamed, voice cracking, struggling again. And Dick would have given anything, in that moment, watching the video, to go back in time and rip that madman away from his brother. Jason would have, too.

“If you don’t pick, then that’s an automatic vote for the Red Hood.” Joker hissed, spit flying everywhere. “If you don’t pick I’m going to drag you out of here by your hair and make you watch as I kill that little bastard all over again.”

Damian finally was able to get an arm free, and shoved the Joker backwards with a punch to his face. The Joker didn’t like that, face set in an angry scowl as he stumbled back and blinked in surprise.

“I’m gonna kill him, you little shit.” The Joker growled, wiping blood from his mouth. “I’m gonna kill the Red Hood, just to piss you off. And then I’m gonna go kill blue bird, and those girls, and the Robin before you. Then I’m gonna kill your mom, and steal your dad. I’m going to make you watch every second. Record it, so I can make you watch it again. And then? Then, I’m gonna-”

And everything happened so fast.

The Joker lunged again, this time, his hands out in front of him like claws, aiming for Damian’s throat.

“-kill-”

Damian had half a second to decide. Fight or flight, kill or be killed.

The sword was out of its sheath and cutting into the side of the Joker’s throat before anyone could blink.

The Joker made a choked noise immediately, even as his momentum still carried him forward, and the sword forced Damian backwards. Another gag as Damian pulled the sword free, and blood began pouring out of the wound.

“…you.” The Joker wheezed. But it was the only sound he got out, before Damian held onto the hilt with both hands and was suddenly swinging the sword back to the same place, chopping still at the Joker’s neck.

“You won’t!” Damian screeched, desperate and _scared_ , yanking the sword free before slamming it into the Joker’s throat again. The Joker stumbled backwards this time, crashing into a stack of boxes and falling with them, as Damian continued his assault. “You won’t hurt my family!”

And after the first three hits, after the surprise wore off…The Joker started laughing.

“You won’t get near my family. I won’t let you.” And suddenly, it was one hit per word. “You. Won’t. Kill. The Red. Hood!” Damian screamed. “I. Won’t. Let you!”

The Joker laughed louder, and as he did, more blood poured.

“You were the one to do it! I can’t believe it! All I had to do was insult the family rebel! The family failure!” Damian’s chops slowed. And the Joker looked up at him with a mad grin. “Though, I guess that’s your title now, huh, kid?” Another laugh. “I’m _proud_ of you, Robin.”

Damian suddenly grit his teeth.

 _“Shut up!”_ He screamed, hacking at the Joker’s neck even faster. Blood was spraying everywhere now. The walls, the boxes. Down the Joker’s suit, and up onto Damian. _“Shut up, shut up, shut up!!!!”_

The Joker laughed until he couldn’t. He laughed until Damian severed his spine, and from the video, Jason and Dick couldn’t tell if he’d just given up, couldn’t exert the energy anymore, or had already died. But it didn’t matter, because even in the silence, Damian kept chopping, and the only sound on the tape was the wet slice of a sword through flesh.

Damian only stopped because, on his last hit, his sword got stuck in the Joker’s throat muscles, and his momentum threw him away from the sword. Twisted him so he was half sprawled across the Joker, and half in the pile of boxes with him.

He quickly scrambled back up, and took hold of the sword’s hilt with both hands again, and jerked it back out. And just as suddenly as everything happened, Damian stopped, sword mid-swing, and seemed to come back to himself.

He was panting heavily, as he blinked. Rapid, quick blinks, as he slowly lowered his sword. He stared down at the body as he caught his breath. The breaths quickly became shaky, surprised, panicked, as his eyes widened.

“I…”

Carefully he stepped backwards, just a few. One, two, three, four, five.

“I…I did…I killed…”

And then he just stood there. Dropped one hand away from the sword, let its point fall to the ground in his loosened grip. Stared at the body.

“…What did I just do?”

It took a minute, but his eyes slowly drooped, and his face dawned with that far away stare.

“This is how I found him.” Jason whispered.

And sure enough, a few minutes later, no more than ten, there was a loud shuffle outside the warehouse doors, and Jason’s head came into view.

_“Robin? Robin, are you alright?”_

The video cut, then, and the screen of Dick’s phone returned to Tim’s message. The one they hadn’t read before the opened the video, which simply read, _“I told you so.”_

“…It was self defense.” Jason murmured, as Dick shut off the phone and tossed it back to the table. Dick sighed and leaned back, dragged his hands across his face once more. “Dick, it was self defense, no one can be mad about this.”

“…I’m not…that’s…I don’t know what to say about that.” Dick breathed, holding his hands against his mouth. “…Do you think he believed him?”

“What?”

“…Joker started his whole tirade saying Bruce and I didn’t care about him.” Dick closed his eyes. “Do you think he believed that? I mean, Jason, he’s sort of thought it before, and he’s so _fragile_ , and I jus-”

“I tried not to.” Dick near jumped out of his skin, as Jason cursed and reached for his guns on the coffee table. They both spun around to find Damian standing in the bedroom’s doorway, wrapped in the bed’s comforter. He didn’t look much better than when he’d fallen asleep. “Though I was admittedly distracted when he decided he was going to go find and kill Todd again.”

“But…you know that’s not true, right?” Dick whispered, twisting on the sofa to look at the little boy. He seemed almost scared to get up and approach him, like Damian might run or break down. “You know Bruce and…that _I_ love you more than anything, right? I’d never let anyone hurt you. I’d…I’d _never ask_ anyone to hurt you.”

“I know. I…I know.” Damian hummed, in a way that said he didn’t. “I doubt Father feels the same now, though.” He looked down. “I’m sure he hates me now.”

“He doesn’t.” Dick said immediately, and Jason knew he had no idea if that was true or not. “But, we’ll…we’ll talk to him soon, okay?”

Damian remained looking at the ground, and after a moment, slowly nodded.

“…You look better than last night.” Jason hummed pleasantly. Damian glanced up. “How do you feel?”

Damian seemed to think, then shrugged.

“Are you hungry?” Dick asked.

“…A little.” Damian admitted. “…Where are we?”

“Okay, that’s good. Hungry is good.” Jason quickly jumped up from the couch, walking around Dick’s legs to go kneel in front of Damian. “Hungry’s really good.”

“Central City.” Dick answered the question.

“…I don’t remember getting here.” Damian stared down at Jason, and his eyes were sad. “I don’t even remember killing him. I remember him threatening you, and making me angry. And I remember you and Grayson in the warehouse, and the bathroom. But I…” Damian trembled, but just a little, like he’d gotten a shiver. “I don’t remember how we got here.”

“That’s okay. That’s perfectly fine. We don’t need to deal with any of that right now.” Jason promised, though Damian looked down in shame almost before the words were even out of his mouth. “…Hey.” Jason whispered, reaching out to hook his fingers around Damian’s hand. “…Thanks for sticking up for me. People don’t really do that, you know?”

Damian seemed to swallow a lump in his throat and nodded.

“And…I know it’s going to be hard, right now. For a while. And we don’t know about your dad or anyone back home, or what they’re feeling or doing, but.” He sniffed, and tilted Damian’s chin up with his free hand. Damian’s lips were pursed, his eyes misty, like he was trying not to cry. “But just know, you always have me now, okay? And Dick. You always have Dick, too. No matter what.”

Damian didn’t nod this time, but that was okay.

“Now, how about we go get some food, then watch a movie with Dickie, okay?” Jason asked, standing. He kept Damian’s hand tight in his. “And then after that, we’ll just take it easy the next few days. How’s that sound?”

Damian looked at Dick, who smiled at him.

“Sounds good.” Damian whispered. “I’m…I’m okay with that.”

“Me too.” Jason grinned, tugging Damian along into the kitchen, blanket-cape trailing behind them. “Now, what do you like better, strawberry or chocolate ice cream?”

“…Both?”

Jason snorted, smirking down at the kid as he pulled the freezer open. “I knew I liked you for some reason.”

And it was small. Tiny, _minuscule_. But…Damian _smiled_.

Jason immediately looked back at Dick, who was flopped over the back of the couch watching them. His shoulders drooped in relief at the sight, and Jason was happy that they both agreed.

It was a start.


End file.
